Monitor Invasion
The Monitor Invasion was a carefully planned and executed, but ultimately failed, coup staged by The Monitor in every nation of New Voldrania. In a public letter, the Monitor declared his intent to "rid the world of war" by erasing borders and eliminating individual governments and militaries, uniting Humanity under a single, peaceful, rule. He was able to enforce this goal through the use of a massive energy weapon located near the Trikash Siphon that was capable of striking targets as far away as Skylyn. In addition to the coup staged in New Voldrania, the Monitor also primed a secondary super weapon with the intent to utterly destroy the Old World, deeming it a "lost cause". The entire Invasion, including the planned destruction of the Old World, was thwarted by a small group of national soldiers and vigilantes who managed to take control of both weapons, rendering the Monitor's threats empty. The Invasion Begins On March 14, 93 AE, the Monitor released a cryptic message suggesting that a "new era" was upon the world. Without any further warning, the Monitor unleashed his forces upon the world on the first day of the new year, and was able to successfully capture or incapacitate most of the worlds political and military leaders within hours, forcing the New Voldrania to its knees. Even the most powerful of nations, such as Akarv and Krolesk, were caught completely off guard, and were even some of the first to succumb. As chaos began, the second wave of the Monitor's forces spread into the streets, enforcing martial law and spreading the word about the Monitor's superweapon, capable of immense destruction. Over the next week the Monitor's forces deconstructed, or oversaw the deconstruction of, most military assets, in order to further weaken the nations abilities to fight back. The only notable holdout during the Invasion was Namess, due to their extremely isolationist, paranoid policies. While the Monitor had managed to plant several sleeper agents within the small island nation, they were unable to predict Queen Valeria Khan's failsafes, and she was able to escape. With no major military assets or leaders to hold hostage, and their leader free and able to lead, the Namessians successfully pushed out the first wave of invaders. With the bulk of the population living underground, the Monitor's weapon was largely insufficient, allowing Namess a decent chance of securing its independence. Fortunately for them, the Monitor saw them as a relatively small threat, and chose to focus his forces on pacifying the larger nations first. Storm in the North Cultural and religious leaders were also targets of the Monitor, due to their ability to influence of even control an entire population. This was true for the High Druid of the Tarskovian Orthodox, Kalitaros. Unfortunately for the Monitor, Kalitaros managed to evade capture, and eventually found himself accompanied by the prominent Skith Sar' Szija Nijal. They, along with others, evaded Monitor forces throughout Krolesk and Skylyn until they could figure out how to rally the Krolesk'Kans to fight back against the oppressing force of the Monitor. A full account of their story can be found here. Defeating the Monitor While there are countless personal stories of bravery and heroism throughout the course of the Monitor Invasion, only one "team" of international combatants, strategists, and vigilantes was able to successfully outmaneuver and ultimately defeat the Monitor. Liberation in Dawnguard As the capital of one of the most powerful nations in the region, Dawnguard was quickly and forcefully forced into a state of lockdown, leaving citizens, politicians, and foreign envoys trapped in house arrest. While the Monitor's forces were plenty enough to maintain order, they were unable to fully process and transport every leader or "person of interest" at once, meaning some, such as those in the Krolesk'kan embassies, were forced to wait in dreadful anticipation. While the Monitor's forces cleared out the Krolesk'Kan capital, the Akarvian-born vigilante Tym Vanir managed to bypass their gaze. As she was technically in Krolesk illegally there was no immigration or census data on her, so she was able to operate completely under the radar. She was quickly able to piece together what was going on by eavesdropping on Monitor agents and reviewing one of the many letters being spread across the city, written by the Monitor himself. In an attempt to fight back she made her way to the Krolesk'kan capital, but quickly realized she would never be able to take it alone. In a bold move, Tym instead chose to liberate the nearby foreign embassies, which were being guarded only by a few of the Monitor's mercenaries. In a dramatic, but successful, attack she managed to free the Akarvian, Llysian, and Varren envoys present, as well as their personal guards. Soon after the Ralkish mage Yubbeus Skink approached the group, having been silently watching over the incident. The group decided to make a dash through Dawnguard to the ports, pick up whatever additional help they could, and get out of the city via boat. The plan was largely successful, and they managed to pick up a few other Krolesk'kan and foreign allies in the process, including an unconscious James Jaykay. They piled onto a single Akarvian diplomatic vessel and began sailing south towards Akarv, evading the Monitor's naval forces. After much back and forth, they made the decision to hit the Akarvian Citadel in an effort to rescue the soldiers and diplomats that had been summoned for a summit. Liberation of the Citadel It took the group approximately a week to reach Akarv, as they had to spend much of that time skirting hostile Monitor ships armed with a powerful new model of cannon. When they did they were forced to disembark on the nearby shores of Norokar. Henry Khan, the Akarvian soldier present, escorted the diplomats to his nearby home, the Khan Mansion, while the other soldiers made their way west to Alred City, and the Citadel. The team was easily able to infiltrate Alred after crossing the river, and silently moved through the city into the massive, towering structure. They encountered some resistance from Monitor forces, but were easily able to overpower them. They continued towards the Citadel's central tower, where they found the diplomats and mostly SANA being held captive. Moving swiftly, the team freed the captives and quickly evacuated the Citadel, in an attempt to get out of the city before any reinforcements could arrive. To their collective horror, as soon as they were clear of the Citadel it was suddenly struck by a blind light, accompanied by a powerful booming sound. The Citadel had been struck by the Monitor's weapon in an attempt to kill the team, effectively proving its existence. While some were more shaken than others, they still managed to escape the city and find their way to the Khan Mansion, where everyone from both cities came together to discuss what to do next. After an incredible amount of bickering, particularly between Akarvian Adam Pyro and Ralkish Yubbeus Skink, Henry Khan and SANA scholar Natalie Evans managed to establish order, and ultimately led the discussion that formed their plan. As this was going on, Khan revealed that he had managed to subdue a Monitor agent stationed within the mansion, Wally Crofton. After the group failed to get any information out of him, the decision was made to send a small team back to Alred in order to further investigate Crofton's tie to the Monitor, an effort which would be led by Evans. Once in relative agreement, the combatants split up into three teams to execute their plan, leaving the diplomats behind in the safety of the mansion. Liberation of Ekive and the Mages' College At first the two teams sent into the field traveled together, using the Akarvian diplomatic vessel to travel to the Akarvian island of Ekive, where the first team departed. The second team then continued east until they reached the eastern Llysian shore, where they dismounted and began a long trek inland to the Llysian Mage's College. The Ekive team silently moved through the island until they reached the prominent air navy base Akarv maintained on the island, which was solidly under the Monitor's control. This was expected, and so the team set stealthily evaded the Monitor patrols and found their way into the base. Inside they found many of the lower-ranking officers still present, but held captive. Using the element of surprise, the team managed to eliminate all of the guards in the immediate area, freeing the Akarvian officers. Together they made their way to the air docks, where they managed to secure three wartime airships that hadn't been disassembled yet. The Llysian team, meanwhile, reached the Mages' College and found it relatively left alone. There were a few Monitor agents present, but they were unprepared any real resistance or conflict. It took some convincing, but the Llysian team eventually managed to convince some of the mages present to assist in their plan to wrest control of the weapon from the Monitor. Soon after the Ekive team arrived with the airships, and they collectively set off west for the Monitor's weapon. Night of Flame, Sea, and Sky The night before the international forces attacked the weapon, the Lirun made a sudden, unexpected attack on the weapon and its surrounding naval forces. Led by speaker Lea Anabal, the Lirun managed to sink several of the weapons guard ships and a small team even made it inside the weapons core, but were forced to retreat before they could do any meaningful damage. After the shock wore off, the Monitor's forces were ale to turn the tide in their favor, and began tearing the Lirun fleet apart with their superior weaponry. The Lirun were forced into full retreat, but not before severely crippling the naval forces in the area. Investigation in Alred Meanwhile, the team led by Natalia Evans made their way back into Akarv, where they slowly made their way through the city, careful to avoid the Monitor's patrols. By this point Alred had largely been placed under complete house arrest, and almost all of its prominent leaders had been moved elsewhere. This made it relatively easy for the team to make their way into the Akarvian capital building to search for census information on Crofton. Unfortunately, Monitor agents had already relocated much of the paperwork present in the capital, and evidence suggested that they intended to ship it out from the Akarvian port. With great haste the team made their way to Alred City's port district, where they were forced to fight off a number of agents before reaching the ship where the census information was being stored. While the combatants held them off Evans quickly scoured the records, discovering that Crofton owned a home in Alred City, one which used to be owned by former president Graz Eldar. Breaking off from the battle, the team retreated to Crofton's home, where they eventually discovered evidence of a secret passageway running underneath the city. They followed it, but were met with heavy resistance in the form of animated golems, which managed to incapacitate Malcolm Aiken, arguably the most capable fighter of the entire team. Continuing on, they discovered a complex machine that appeared capable of teleporting objects, or even people, to an unknown location. On a leap of faith the team used it to investigate where it led, and suddenly found themselves within the Monitor's personal bunker, alongside the Monitor himself. Battle for the Weapon On the dawn of January 22, the three liberated airships approached Monitor's superweapon, finding it largely unguarded due to the Lirun's attack the previous night. Not expecting a second attack, the Monitor's forces were largely caught off guard when they were suddenly fired upon from above. Their attempts to fire back were prevented by the Llysian mages, who were collectively able to shield the ships from fire. As the airships engaged the Monitor's naval forces, a small team of the heroes para-dropped onto the weapons entryway, and proceeded to fight their way through the weapons innerworkings until they reached the control center at the top. By using the element of surprise they were able to fully conquer the weapon within the hour, leaving the Monitor unable to follow through on his threats. Confronting the Monitor Suddenly finding themselves in the presence of the Monitor himself was startling to many of the Alred team, but Evans took the lead and attempted to negotiate with the Monitor, try to make him see reason. The Monitor, for his part, was relatively unsurprised that he had been discovered, and remained entirely committed to his cause. He even attempted to counter-reason with the team to make them see his own logic. Of course, neither side was able to get through to the other, but that didn't prevent the team from being surprised that the Monitor seemed so accommodating. That is, until he revealed he knew about their plan to seize the weapon, and he'd already made the arrangements to retake it. His outright lack of any guards made them curious, and bold, but before they could make any attempt to capture or physically intimidate him the glass seal of his chamber was shattered, and he was extracted by his command ship, successfully evading capture. In his haste, the Monitor left behind several documents and letters detailing parts of his plan not previously known to the group, such as the existence of "Project Colossus", a second superweapon aimed at the Old World. Using the teleportation matrix present in the Monitor's chamber, Evans traveled to the first weapon to warn their allies, while the rest of the team traveled to Project Colossus in order to shut it down. By the time Evans arrived at the first weapon it had already been taken by the New Voldranian forces, who were particularly shocked to discover her suddenly in their presence. She quickly explained what she had discovered in Alred, and about her encounter with the Monitor, and warned them that he was on his way to retake the weapon, armed with a particularly large and powerful-looking command ship. In an effort to prevent him from succeeding, the allies once again split into two teams. One stayed behind to defend the weapon, while the others boarded a ship and flew east in an attempt to cut the Monitor off. Battle for Project Colossus When the Alred team came out of the teleporter they found themselves on a massive platform in the middle of the ocean, with an enormous cannon-like barrel mounted on top. Several glowstone and redstone generators were scattered all over, and were lit far brighter than was natural, suggesting that the weapon was already charging for its first strike. Fortunately the base was staffed with very few guards, seeing as how the Monitor never anticipated anyone ever finding, much less attacking, it. So the team was able to swiftly move through the base until they reached the command center, where they encountered the most resistance. Almost the entire mechanical and scientific staff had at least some combat training, and were willing to die to protect Project Colossus. After failing to figure out how to properly use the weapons control, they made their way to the center of the weapon, its power core. In a desperate effort to prevent the weapon from firing, Tym Vanir fired an explosive arrow directly at the core, which successfully destroyed many of the wiring and connections necessary for the weapon to draw power from the Heart of Lovuhkin, which was responsible for the bulk of its energy. After the cores destruction the energy it had built up slowly dissipated, and Project Colossus was deactivated. Battle on the Monitor's Ship Using the information present to them, the team set to intercept the Monitor's command ship flew as quickly as they could to intercept him, and after a while managed to spot a large, ancient-looking, particularly rapid ship on the horizon. Knowing they lacked the firepower to take it out in aerial combat they instead flew above it, managing to get directly over top of it at one point. Making use of this brief window, the team disembarked the ship and dropped onto the ships upper deck, where they met heavy resistance. They managed to hold their own, but found that they were incapable of accessing the pilots chambers. Restrategizing, they decided to instead sabotage to flying fortress' engines, so they made their way below deck. Unfortunately, before they could reach the engine room they were confronted by Tougur Vazen, the Monitor's enforcer and personal bodyguard. Despite having the advantage of numbers, the team found that they were unable to defeat Vazen, who quickly and skillfully evaded their attacks and wore them down. He even managed to fatally stab Patti Teel, the leader of Akarv's special forces group SANA, who had effectively been acting as the teams leader. Before the fight could escalate any further, the team stationed at the weapon caught glimpse of the command ship in the distance. Not knowing if the other team had made it, or if they had made it and failed, they decided to turn the Monitor's own weapon against him. After figuring out the controls, they fired a single, powerful, blast at the ship, only to barely miss. Fortunately, the sheer pressure of the blast was enough to rock it to its side, and the now uneven weight distribution caused the ship to fall into the sea. The surviving members of the team managed to brace themselves and survive the crash, but Vazen was ejected from the ship, and assumed dead. Just before the Monitor's ship hit water, though, a capsule ejected from the lower deck, and utilized a powerful glowstone engine to rapidly eject into the distance. It didn't take much investigation to figure out that the Monitor had used the pod to escape. Though he was still free, he no longer had access to his base, his teleportation network, his means of mass-communiation, or his weapons. Because of this, the Monitor was effectively defeated, resulting in the overall liberation of New Voldrania. Aftermath Following the capture of the Monitor's weapons, and his failure to reclaim them, the Heroes of the Monitor Invasion began a word-of-mouth campaign that led to the liberation of most of the worlds political and military leaders, who in turn fought back against the Monitor's forces with raw passion, no longer hesitating in fear of the superweapon. Within a month every nation had been liberated, and pushed back, killed, or captured most of the Monitor's invading forces. Immediately after the invasions end, the world tried to understand and come to terms with what had just happened. A quasi-immortal, would-be dictator almost succeeded in conquering the entire world in weeks. At the same time, the Lirun had revealed a portion of their Netheric abilities to the world, calling their status as a threat into question. The North, meanwhile, experienced political and societal turmoil that led to an increased prominence of the church. This, in conjunction with the attempted secession of New Fallnavor, led to the short-lived "Great Navirian War", which in turn led to the assassination of Krolesk'kan Consul Ostavius Dravicus by Tougur Vazen. In 96 AE, word of a mysterious entity known only as "The New Monitor" began to spread throughout New Voldrania. Varren special forces became heavily involved in this issue after an agent claiming to work for the "New Monitor" assassinated the Varren king . Meanwhile, investigations into the Monitor's chambers led to the discovery of his immense archives, which contained countless historical, political, fictional, and even personal records previously unknown to the rest of the world. Several nations began a years-long project to document the entirety of the Monitor's Archives. The Heroes of the Monitor Invasion The following lists all of those individuals who are recognized as "Heroes of the Monitor Invasion". Category:Events Category:New Voldranian Events